Member Handbook Men s Daytime Section RA Curling Club 01/09/2018
GENERAL The purpose of this Handbook is to provide a ready source of information for both new and veteran members on the activities of the Men s Daytime Section of the RA Curling Club. No Handbook such as this can be all-encompassing, and it remains incumbent on all Members to frequently review the club Notice Board & RA Website for recent news and announcements. The main purpose of the RA Men s Daytime Section is to provide exercise and good fellowship through recreational curling. Members are invited to play in these Draws as often as they wish. There is also the option to play once a week in Friday Mixed Curling with the Riverside Ladies Section. To provide balance among the Draw Curling Teams, Members are rated according to their demonstrated curling ability, yet the emphasis remains on recreation. Two Special Bonspiels open to all Members are the Christmas Bonspiel just before Christmas, and the Wind-up Bonspiel held at the end of the curling season. Members who wish for more competitive curling have two options open to them. The Men s Daytime Fixed League provides for one game per week with teams assembled by invitation of the Skip who submits an entry. There also is provision for Evening Curling with the RA Curling Club on a split fee basis; details of fees are available at the Registration Desk. Page 2 of 11 01/09/2018
DRAW CURLING Sign up procedures for Draw Curling have been designed with a view to allowing Members to curl at a time of their convenience. Draws are generally scheduled for 1100 hours and 1300 hours with six sheets of ice available in the morning and three in the afternoon. The dates when sign-up sheets will be posted and taken down are listed on the Notice Board at the beginning of each season. Sign-up sheets are usually posted on Monday morning; three weeks prior to the end of the current draw, and Members may sign up in their rated position. Consideration is also being given to allow Members to sign up at their preferred position. Space is provided to sign up as spare for players who are prepared to play on an as needed basis. The Draw Committee will remove the sign-up sheets on the indicated date and publish team rosters at least one week before the Draw begins. Members should initial the roster against their name and Skips should ensure that team players know of the time and date of their first game. The Draw Committee can assign curlers to a position one below their rated position in order to create the optimum number of teams for an event. Once the team is made up for a draw, the Skip can change the position of team Members as long as nobody is unwillingly placed in a position they do not wish to play. A team must have two assigned Members to curl a scheduled match or the other team will win by default. Should the Skip of the opposing team have four curlers and agree to lend one to the two man team, it must be clearly agreed before play begins whether a forfeiture is to be claimed or not. Games in Draw Curling will be scored and the winning Third is responsible for completing a scoring slip and putting it in the box provided for that purpose. A point system will be used to declare the winner in each Section of the Draw using the point system shown below. Page 3 of 11 01/09/2018
Scoring for Draw Curling Games WIN 10 POINTS TIE 5 POINTS LOSS 0 POINTS DEFAULT WIN 18 POINTS DEFAULT LOSS 0 POINTS END WIN 2 POINTS BLANK END 1 POINT TO EACH TEAM EACH UNPLAYED END REMAINING AFTER THE BUZZER 2 POINTS TO EACH TEAM EACH UNPLAYED END CONCEDED 2 POINT TO WINNING TEAM Five Draws are held each Curling Season: Opening Draw; Ken Redpath Memorial Draw; Pat Lid Draw; President s Draw and; the Glen Sage Draw. Each Draw is won by the team with the most points (average per game will be used if the number of games played is different). Should there be a tie then the following criteria will be used until a winner is determined: the team with the most wins; the team that won the most ends; the team with the best +/- record. It is the responsibility of each player, with the help of his Skip, to arrange for the provision of a SPARE when the need arises. All Spares shall play in the position of the Player they are replacing or in a lower position. (Interpretation: If a team is missing its Skip, the Spare can be used in any position. If a team is missing its Third, the Spare can play in the Third, Second or Lead positions. If the second is missing the Spare can play as a Second or Lead. If the Lead is missing the spare must play Lead.) Page 4 of 11 01/09/2018
FIXED CURLING The Men s Daytime Fixed Curling is meant for those Members who are interested in a more competitive style of game than the games played in regular Draw Curling. Teams play once a week (Monday) in three sections: A, B and C. Five games are played in four rounds of curling (total 20 games) during the season. At the end of each round, the two teams in sections B and C with the best records advance to sections A and B respectively. The two teams in sections A and B with the worst won/loss records are relegated to sections B and C respectively. Fixed Curling teams are made up by invitation of the Skip. Team positions are determined by the Skip regardless of league ratings. The buzzer rule is in effect during games. Rules specific to Fixed Curling are posted on the bulletin board. Any Member of the Daytime Section may be a Spare. A Spares List for Fixed Curling is posted on the bulletin board. Members of each Fixed Team contribute a small fee at the beginning of each Draw and the proceeds are returned as prizes for the first, second and third team in each Section. Page 5 of 11 01/09/2018
SPECIAL BONSPIELS A Christmas Bonspiel is usually held during the week preceding December 25 th concluding with a banquet on the Friday. Sign-up sheets are posted for Members to compete in their rated position. Each team plays three games that will be scored as for Draw Curling. A fee will be collected from each team Member to help cover the costs of prizes and the banquet. A Wind-up Bonspiel is usually held at the end of the curling season concluding with a banquet on the Friday. Sign-up sheets are posted for Members to compete in their rated position. Each team plays three games that will be scored as for Draw Curling. A fee will be collected from each team Member to help cover the costs of prizes and the banquet. The Buzzer Rule is in effect for both Special Bonspiels. The provision of Spares should be negotiated with the Bonspiel Convenor. Prospective Spares should enter their name on the sheets provided on the Men s Daytime Curling Notice Board. Skips who need a Spare to complete a team are obliged to select from the list in the order in which the names appear on the sign-up sheet. Eligibility to curl in a given position will be governed as in Draw Curling. Page 6 of 11 01/09/2018
USE OF SPARES Members of the Men s Daytime Section are eligible to spare in all events: Regular Draws; Fixed Draws and; Special Bonspiels. Curlers from the Evening League and from outside the RA Curling Club may spare a total of three times throughout the curling season. Skips are encouraged, however, to obtain Spares from the Men s Daytime Curling Section. Members may wish to drop in and seek to spare on an opportunity basis at any time. In this case they should enter their name on the sign-up sheets posted on the Notice Board and Skips who find that they need a Spare are obliged to select from the list in the order in which the names appear on the sign-up sheet. Page 7 of 11 01/09/2018
RATINGS To provide some balance among teams in the Draw Curling, Members are rated according to their demonstrated curling ability. A Rating Committee recommends a rating for each Member and then reviews the ratings from time to time. While such reviews typically result in a Member being rated at a higher level, the Committee may recommend a lower level. The rating of each Member is posted on the bulletin board. The Committee strives to maintain a balance in the number of Members rated at each position. New Members are rated at the Lead position pending review of their performance by the Rating Committee. As an exception to this rule, new Members who have been rated in the Evening Section of RA Curling Club will retain that rating in the Daytime Section, if a slot is available. Individual Members may apply to the Chair to revert their rating to a lower level should they wish to do so. If, during the course of the curling season, a Member must withdraw from play due to illness, that individual s rating will be retained for one year from the date of departure, upon that Member s active return to the RACC Men s Daytime Section. Page 8 of 11 01/09/2018
DAYTIME LEARN-TO-CURL PROGRAM The Daytime Learn-to-Curl Program offers new and almost-new curlers the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of curling in a fun, social atmosphere. Under the watchful guidance of our fully-trained instructors, participants will learn the no-lift forward slide delivery, proper sweeping techniques, and basic strategy. Our program is based on a curriculum developed by Curling Canada. We promise a low student-to-instructor ratio so everyone can enjoy developing basic curling skills in a no-pressure environment. After 10 weeks, Learn-to-Curl grads will have the opportunity to join other leagues at the club for the remainder of the season (January to April) for a small additional fee. DAY/NIGHT CURLING Members of the RACC Men s Daytime League may also curl evenings with the RACC s Evening League as a Spare as many as three times in a season without cost. Evening Section Members may play as a Spare with the Men s Daytime League on the same basis. Daytime Members can enjoy unlimited Day or Evening Curling by joining as a Men s Daytime All-Inclusive Member at the RA. Details on the cost are available at the Registration Desk. CLUB-WIDE EVENTS The RA Curling Club consists of three Sections: the Men s Daytime; Riverside Ladies; and Evening. Each year, three special events are held and these are open to Members of all Sections. They provide an opportunity to play and socialize with all RA Curling Club Members. The events are the Harvest Spiel in November; The Mini Brier in February and; the President s Spiel in April. Men s Daytime Members are encouraged to participate and sign-up sheets for these events will be posted on the Notice Board. Page 9 of 11 01/09/2018
CURLING ETIQUETTE The observance of proper curling etiquette by all Members is encouraged to maintain a spirit of sportsmanship and safe play. 1. Please enter the curling rink from the lounge only after the game on your ice sheet has finished, even if that game is running late. Also, if you are entering the ice to play on a sheet where the game has finished, please be mindful of players who are still playing, and who may be in the hack. Do not distract these players. 2. When you are positioned on the sides of the sheet, waiting for the opposition to deliver a rock, please ensure that you, and your equipment, remain totally on your sheet of ice. Do not encroach on the adjacent sheet of ice. You could interfere with activities on that sheet, and even cause a collision. 3. Once a team has finished sweeping a rock, the sweepers and the thrower of the rock, should move to the sides quickly. Please do not linger in the centre of the sheet, and please return down the sheet of ice in single file, along the edge of the ice. Also, please ensure that your brooms do not encroach on the line of sight for the next rock to be delivered. 4. Please do not slide any equipment (brooms, launcher sticks, stabilizers, and grippers) along the ice, leave them unattended on the ice, or throw them in any way. Any such activity creates distractions and hazards for other players. Equipment should not be slid down, or left on, an adjacent sheet of ice even if that sheet is not being used. Another player may not see it, step on it, or trip over it. 5. Once you have delivered your rock, please: do not rest your hands or knees on the ice. Your body heat will quickly melt the ice causing a flat spot that will affect how rocks react as they pass over this spot. Please stand up as quickly as possible. 6. Within the lounge, there are six large round tables with numbers assigned to each table. Like every other curling club, these tables are intended for the players coming off the ice for socializing after the game. When you are going out on the ice, please move away from these tables before the other teams come off the ice and ensure that no item of clothing or curling equipment is left on or under these tables. Page 10 of 11 01/09/2018
CURLERS CODE OF ETHICS To ensure that all curlers are aware of their responsibilities when playing the game, the Canadian Curling Association has adopted the following Code of Ethics as an official supplement to the rules of curling. Remember though that first and foremost curling should be fun. I will play the game with a spirit of good sportsmanship; I will conduct myself in an honourable manner both on and off the ice; I will never knowingly break a rule, but if I do, I will divulge the breach; I will take no action that could be interpreted as an attempt to intimidate or demean my opponents, teammates or officials; I will interpret the rules in an impartial manner, always keeping in mind that the purpose of the rules is to ensure that the game is played in an orderly and fair manner; I will humbly accept any penalty that the governing body at any level of curling deems appropriate, if I am found in violation of the Code of Ethics or rules of the game. Page 11 of 11 01/09/2018